Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain has said he has been contacted by a number of residents over the government’s plans to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has faced criticism from unions and some Labour MPs over the policy, which will see all but the country’s poorest pensioners stripped of the winter fuel payment.

Under the plans, the allowance for pensioners will be limited to only those claiming pension credit or other means-tested benefits.

The move has been met with unease among some backbenchers who have said they feel unable to vote with the Government today.

Independent MP Adnan Hussain said the decision, if it goes through, will have ‘detrimental effects' on constituents in Blackburn many of whom had written to him with their ‘anxieties and concerns’.

Mr Hussain said: “I have been vocal about my opposition to the government’s plans on this matter and will vote against them in Parliament.

“The letters I have received from concerned constituents have given me greater insight into the detrimental effects the proposed cuts would have on older people in Blackburn.

“Over the weekend I visited some of my constituents who wrote to me expressing their deep-felt worries, the sentiments on the doorsteps of pensioners in Blackburn echoed the concerns of pensioner rights groups such as Age UK, campaigning against the government’s proposals.

“The government’s decision to means test winter fuel allowance will not only remove money from those who can do without it, but also deprive approximately two million pensioners who do require the allowance to keep their homes warm this winter.”

He added: “It is a great shame, in my opinion, that older people in my constituency of Blackburn have expressed such worries, concerns and anxieties about the winter ahead, should the government’s proposals come into place.

“Of the most touching and worrying situations I encountered when consulting with pensioners in Blackburn over the weekend was the situation of one elderly lady, in recovery from cancer and vulnerable to further ill health, who has already been struggling with feeling cold over the summer, and is now deeply anxious about what the cut to the Winter Fuel Allowance will mean for her this coming winter.

“A means-tested fuel allowance will cause significant harm for as many as two million older people who are living on low income, or who face unavoidably high bills due to ill health, the lady in question falls into this bracket.

“She has worked her whole life, beyond retirement age, and had hoped for ease during retirement, however, through the unfortunate hand played to her by fate, circumstances well outside of her control have led to her being left in a situation whereby not only is she immensely vulnerable due to her poor health, but is now set to be vulnerable to the elements over the winter, should the government get its way in bringing about a means test for the fuel allowance."

It came as it was announced the full state pension is set to rise by £460 from next April, according to official wage figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said total pay increased by 4% in the three months to July.

While this is the lowest increase for nearly four years, it will mean pensioners who reached state pension age after April 2016 can expect to see their full, flat-rate state pension go up to £11,962.60 a year from next April – a rise of £460.

Under the “triple lock” guarantee, the state pension increases every April in line with whichever is the highest of average total earnings growth in the year from May to July of the previous year, CPI inflation in September of the previous year, or 2.5%.